


Where the Forest Meets the Sea

by bitterjelly



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bottom!Caduceus, Canon Compliant, Dungeons & Dragons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, Gift Giving, Healing Sex, Intersex Caduceus, Light Angst, M/M, Nature Worship, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Pillow Princess Caduceus, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Prayer, Sharing a Room, Soft Caduceus, Top!Fjord, Wildbros, so soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:08:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22250824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitterjelly/pseuds/bitterjelly
Summary: Caduceus' gift brings Fjord's feelings to light. The Wildmother has to avert her gaze.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Fjord
Comments: 10
Kudos: 273





	1. Affection

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for Series 2, Episode 88 of Critical Role

"I made this for you. In the Cinderrest Sanctum." Caduceus sat crosslegged on the cold wood floor of the inn, eyes cast down. 

"Caduceus. What... This is beautiful. It's... perfect." Fjord took the medallion, turning it in his hands, running his fingers along the sharp pin back, the metallic wreath of seaweed.

"I want you to know I'm proud of you." The firbolg looked up from his hands that lay, palm up, in his lap. A wavy tendril of pink hair fell across his large, dark eye, rimmed with pink lashes. 

Fjord cleared his throat loudly, willing away the tears. No, no, no. Don't cry. His bottom lip curled involuntarily down, forcing his tusks out in a pout.

"It's alright, Fjord." Cad stood quickly, his short tail swishing with anxiety. He sat on the bed, his weight bending the mattress and making Fjord's body tilt into him. He put an arm around the orc's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "It's been quite a journey, hasn't it?" The low rumble of his laugh wasn't enough to break the tension, but he didn't say anything else, bringing his hand back to his own lap. They sat together in silence for a moment. 

Fjord clenched the symbol of Melora in his hand, making his knuckles turn pale. 

The orc turned to look up at Caduceus, his eyes dark. Cad could see the pulse pounding in the vein in his neck. He blushed, the tips of his furry ears darkening.

Fjord's eyes darted back and forth, searching. The firbolg could read the desire in his gaze, but decided on patience. Let him arrive at in in his own time, he reasoned. He hoped. 

Fjord tipped his head up, chin jutting out defiantly. Before he could stretch up to meet Caduceus' lips, the firbolg bent down to meet his kiss. 

A green hand came up to cup the grey-furred jaw. He brushed down the long neck, down to Cad's linen tunic, pressing his chest. Cad's long fingers encircled Fjord's as he covered his hand.

"You're beautiful," Caduceus whispered into Fjord's mouth, drawing away to look at the orc's flushed face. 

"Deuces, I -" Fjord decided words were insufficient and instead captured the firbolg's square jaw in his callused hands, savoring the softness of his fur and the searching caresses of his rough tongue. 

Caduceus' large, soft hands came to rest on Fjord's hips, kneading the muscle gently and making Fjord hum with pleasure. The orc pressed his hands to Cad's chest, feeling the soft warmth there, the slow heartbeat. With the increasing passion of their kisses, their breath came more quickly and harshly, filling the small room with the sound of their desperation. Fjord's cock was unbearably hard and straining against his breeches. With a moan he broke away.

"The others will be expecting us to come down soon" Fjord tried to focus on anything other than his erection.

"Okay" Caduceus' huge eyes were hungry, but resigned. "Maybe we could just lay here... for a moment?" The firbolg suggested softly.

"Yeah. Yeah, that would be... good." Fjord scooched back on the bed and let himself be encircled in furry grey arms. He cuddled up against the soft chest and closed his eyes as Caduceus tucked Fjord's head under his chin. A puff of warm air out of his wide nose signaled Cad's contentment. They lay together, their breath slowing, for a long time.

\---

After an evening of shopping, drinking, and laughter, the Mighty Nein retired to their rooms. Caduceus excused himself early and went upstairs. He let himself into the room and stood in the entrance nervously. With a shake of his head he entered, undoing the ties of his breastplate. Once all his armor was carefully placed at the foot of the bed, he pulled off his shoes and tunic, then paced anxiously back and forth several times before pulling his tunic back on. 

Down at the bar, Fjord was polishing off the last round of drinks with Beau. He pointed out a particularly muscular woman at the bar, waggling his eyebrows. Beau's instantly red face made him howl with laughter. He slammed back the dregs of his beer.

"Go talk to her." He stood and nudged his friend's shoulder. 

"Yeah, sure. Maybe. Don't tell me what to do. Fuck you." Beau slurred, her cheeks aflame.

Fjord chuckled and wished her good luck, turning toward the stairs. Fuck. It hit him like an ocean swell. His heart started to pound - what was waiting for him upstairs? Cad naked? Cad asleep? Cad wanting to talk to him, tell him it was all a mistake? Every option sounded terrifying.

There was no face he could put on, no act he could trick the firbolg with. Caduceus always saw through him and he... needed that. Whatever was up there, he'd have to face it honestly. Panic flooded his veins, but so did excitement. He bounded up the stairs, trying to work off some of the nervous energy.


	2. Tenderness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Fjord as Kelly from the Office: "So Caduceus just says whatever he's thinking all the time? What kind of game is that?"_

Fjord's foot squeaked loudly on the floorboard as he opened the door to his room.

Caduceus started from his position on the floor, cross-legged in front of a small incense-burner.

"Uh.." Fjord pitched his voice down. "Caduceus." He cleared his throat anxiously and stepped inside, beginning to untie his armor. 

Caduceus tried to settle down, closed his big cow-eyes, and made another attempt at meditation. But it was no good. His hands fidgeted in his lap, pulling a thread in his tunic. His eyelids fluttered open as Fjord pulled his breastplate off inelegantly and dropped it clattering to the floor. 

The only thing he hadn't thrown on the floor was his overcloak, which was now fastened with the symbol of Melora. It was folded tidily on the foot of the bed. The orc kicked off his boots and crawled between his cold sheets. 

Caduceus closed his eyes again, but he could hear Fjord's nervous breathing. He could practically hear him staring at the ceiling. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" The firbolg's voice was excessively calm. 

"Hm? What?" Fjord's words came out too fast. "Talk about the... uhh..." He was stiff as a corpse in his bed, heart beating fast. 

"The kiss. When you kissed me." Caduceus stubbed out his incense and tucked it away in his pack, standing with a creak. He sat on his bed facing Fjord, twisting his long hair into a braid.

"Oh. That. Yes, well. I apologize if I got a bit caught up in the moment. Won't happen again." Fjord's accent slipped subtly back into Vandren, sounding gruff and masculine.

"That would be too bad. I liked it, quite a lot actually." There was a pregnant pause, the length of a slow inhalation.

"Haa!! _Hooo_." Fjord let out an anxious whoop as he smashed his hands into his face. "You really had me nervous, there, 'Deuces."

"I know, I know I made you nervous. I was nervous too. It's difficult to admit your feelings for someone. To be honest with you, its something I've never really done before."

"Soo..." Fjord turned to look at Caduceus in the dim light. "What happens now?"

"Well, if you'd be amenable to this idea, I'd like to push our beds together so we can cuddle." Caduceus' voice rumbled in his chest. 

Fjord laughed, a short, joyful chuckle of relief and happiness. "Sure. That sounds nice."


	3. Euphoria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> recommended listening: _easy baby_ by denyah, _tangerine dream_ by maya delilah, _melting_ by kali uchis

"Just a little farther, I can hear it." Caduceus led Fjord down a narrow footpath through the sharp palms and dark pines. The Mighty Nein were back on the Menagerie Coast, and Fjord was surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of home. And smells - the briny tang of the air brought back so many memories. 

The forest ended abruptly and Fjord blinked his eyes in the bright light. In front of them spread the vast blue-green expanse of the Lucidian Ocean. Scrubby sea-grass clung to the dark cliffside, sprayed occasionally by waves crashing a few feet below. Sea birds screamed and swirled overhead. A galley made its slow progress across the bay, tiny red flags whipping in the west wind. 

Caduceus let Fjord's fingers slip from his and swung his pack off his back, letting it fall to the grassy cliffside. 

"I thought this would be the perfect place to ask the Wildmother for guidance." Caduceus sat, folding his long legs into a pretzel and reaching out for Fjord's hand.

Fjord took a deep breath of sea air, letting it puff up his chest. "It is perfect." He took the firbolg's hand and sat so that the pair were facing. 

Caduceus began to weave the spell, and the love and grace of Melora buoyed them up like a warm current. Fjord stroked Caduceus' wrist as Cad asked for guidance in their journey. His slow, calm prayer melted like honey in Fjord's ears, and he could feel his shoulders relax, all the tension from the day carried away on a gentle breeze. 

They sat like that for a long time, after the spell was over, letting the soft scent of rain drift away. When Caduceus finally opened his eyes, he saw a ring of tiny pink flowers had bloomed in a circle around them. 

"Huh." He chuckled reverently. 

"Wha- Oh." Fjord craned his neck to follow the line of flowers that circled behind him. "I suppose thats a good...? Sign...?"

" _Very good_ , I think." Caduceus looked into Fjord's golden eyes. He uncrossed his legs and tucked them underneath himself, bringing his hands up to cup the sides of Fjord's face. Ever so gently, slowly, lovingly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Fjord's yielding mouth.

"Mmm..." Fjord melted into the firbolg's touch, reaching his hands out blindly to brush across his thighs, belly, and hips. 

" _Mmm_..." Caduceus agreed, humming against Fjord's mouth and running his long fingers through the orc's black hair, tugging lightly.

Fjord raised himself up to his knees, not breaking the deepening kiss, and pushed Caduceus back, keeping one hand on his back to slowly, slowly, lower him down to the soft grass. 

Caduceus' wavy hair splayed out around him, tangling with the grass. A shiny black beetle began a slow journey across the expanse of pink. Fjord broke away and looked down at Cad. The ocean breeze gently rustled the pine boughs above them. A wave broke against the rock below, Fjord could feel the barest cool mist settle against his skin. Fjord let his hips fall between the firbolg's parted thighs and bent down again to kiss along the soft-furred neck. Caduceus tipped his head back and huffed a contented breath out of his soft, wet nose. A blade of grass tickled his wide ear and it flicked up, making the spiraling wooden earring jiggle. 

Fjord kissed down his neck and to his chest, nuzzling into the soft hair and huffing in the scent of fresh mushrooms. His hands, which had been pressed into the ground, came up to undo the buttons on Caduceus' tunic, brushing crumbs of soil and dried grass against the soft white linen.

With each button undone, Fjord trailed more kisses along the firbolg's chest and stomach. Once they were all opened, Fjord sat up and roughly pulled his own shirt over his head and balled it up in his hands. He slid one hand behind Caduceus' head and lifted it up, placing the shirt underneath like a pillow. Cad's pink eyes caught his, and he smiled. 

"Thank you, darling."

Fjord felt paralyzed with desire. His head felt full of cotton and his limbs were heavy. His toes tingled as euphoria swirled in his stomach. He felt drunk, but wholesomely so. The lust that burned like vodka, that had felt so dirty and twisted with Avantika was replaced with a heavy, mead-sweet warmth with Caduceus. His body felt so good. His blood-heavy, throbbing cock felt potent in a life-giving rather than guilt-bringing way. This felt so right.

In his reverie, Fjord had stopped to stare deeply into Caduceus' eyes. The firbolg snaked his arms under Fjord's and gripped his hips in large hands. He pulled and ground Fjord's body against his narrow hips, drawing a broken moan from the half-orc's lips. 

Caduceus tugged at the ties on Fjord's breeches, loosening them until they slipped down, exposing his pale green backside to the golden afternoon sun.


	4. Delight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> t h e s o f t n e s s

"Come here," Caduceus growled, low and grinding like bones rasping together. The firbolg tugged Fjord's breeches down as he pulled his hips forward. Fjord's cock fell onto Caduceus' chest, leaking a wet smear against the grey fur. Fjord shuffled on his knees and fell forward, fists pressing into the warm earth on either side of Cad's head. His mouth fell open and his eyes screwed shut as he huffed lungfulls of breath. A dark green flush spread down his cheeks and across his chest.

Caduceus placed a reassuring hand on his bottom and pressed gently, guiding the orc up. His long, wide tongue licked a wet stripe up the ridged underside of Fjord's cock and wrapped around the head. 

Fjord's heart was booming in his ears. His belly clenched, arching against the feeling. He felt a drop of drool gather around his tusk and fall to the ground, but he was powerless to do anything but pant.

When Cad's pink lips closed around him, and he felt the rough tongue caressing him in that soft heat, Fjord let out a breathy moan. Sizzles of anticipation crawled their way down his limbs to the tips of his fingers and curling toes. 

A whip-poor-will sang its burbling, whistling call from amidst the scrubby palms. 

Finding his voice again, Fjord stammered, "Cad, wait..." and he shuffled back, stumbling unsteadily to his feet. He shucked off his breeches, hopping and tripping a little over the cuff. 

The sunshine poured over his body, the old scars, the new muscle, the faint hint of soft belly. His eye caught a faraway glimpse of a pod of dolphins, jumping in the surf, their slick flanks glinting.

Fjord planted his bare feet firmly on the ground, felt the dry grass stems poking into his soles, and stretched out his arms wide, clenched fists making his biceps swell. 

"YEAARRGGHH!!" He roared to the Lucidian Ocean.

 _"SHHhh_ ," It roared back.

Caduceus smiled up at him beatifically, batting long lashes over heavy-lidded eyes. He was splayed out, floating peacefully on a sea of grass.

Fjord knelt, reverently. He pressed a worshipful kiss to Cad's sunken belly, running a tender thumb over the jutting hipbone. He grasped the firbolg's loose pants by the waistband, looking up for permission. 

Caduceus had his his eyes closed, his face turned up trustingly to the sun. But he lifted his hips and helped Fjord wriggle the pants down. The silky fabric fell in a puddle on the ground, pooling like mercury. The firbolg's knees fell open, and Fjord knelt inside. 

A pained moan escaped the orc's lips as a javelin of lust impaled him. He fell forward, palms gripping the soil. "Caduceus..." 

" _OH._ " The firbolg squeezed his thighs weakly together and lifted his head to find Fjord's yellow eyes. "We should have had a conversation about this, Fjord. I'm sor-"

"Stop... Caduceus... You're _perfect_." Fjord weakly rasped. He let his forehead fall to Cad's belly, nose brushing the grey fur. " _Perfect_ ," he whispered into the thicker pink fur that gathered in a line below the firbolg's navel. 

Caduceus let his head fall back to the pillow and allowed Fjord to gently part his thighs with trembling hands. Fjord slid his arms under Caduceus' bottom and back, and buried his face in the petal-pink vulva.

He licked at the swollen, dripping lips and teased the little cock, blushed rose-red at the tip.

"Mpfgh," Caduceus breathed, and his body went limp, pliant in Fjord's rough hands. 

Pink hair tickled his cheeks as he pressed into the musky, dripping, softness. His tusks pressed against swollen lips, blunt tips spreading the flesh. He exhaled a warm breath against Cad's entrance and licked inside. Slickness smeared and dripped down his chin, soaking into the thirsty roots below. He flexed his arms, pulling the firbolg's body snugly against his mouth.

Fjord was drowning in the peaceful pleasure of Caduceus' perfect body. The salty, musky taste of him was overwhelming. Warmth suffused his body. _The feeling of home_.

He lifted his head to look at Cad, soaking up the sun like he was photosynthesizing, silly smile on his face.

A blue butterfly landed on Fjord's nose, dabbing the salty slick with its proboscis. When the orc shook his head in surprise, it fluttered away in the wind.


	5. Bliss

Fjord's tongue lapped at the red cockhead, which was burning with lust and straining to be touched. The orc could hear soft groans of contentment coming from Caduceus' parted lips. His lips encircled Cad, and he gently sucked, kneading with his hands on the firbolg's bony hips. 

Another hot gush of wetness spilled onto the soil, filling Fjord's nose with musky sweetness. He reached down instinctively and grabbed himself, squeezing hard on the base of his cock to slow the sensation roiling its way down his spine. 

Fjord raised himself to his hands and knees, tensing over Caduceus, stupefied with awe. The firbolg's eyes fluttered open and gazed wetly at the orc. In one slow motion, Fjord arched down to meed Cad's lips and canted his hips to meet the firbolg's entrance. 

As he lost himself in the sensation of Caduceus' heavenly mouth, he gently pressed the dark green cockhead into him. Every inch of his body tingled and vibrated in ecstatic anticipation. Enveloped in softness, he felt all the air escape his lungs, lost in the deathlike, breathless trance until Cad tipped his hips up slightly and pressed perfectly into Fjord. 

His heart restarted, and he dived deep into the briny depths of his love, tight balls smacking, deep moans wrenching, back arching into the eldritch passion.

Caduceus' hands ripped up clumps of grass, desperately searching for purchase. Their breath was coming quick and desperate, filling their ears like the sound of the rushing sea. They writhed together, Fjord's hips pumping into Caduceus, Caduceus' body roiling into Fjord, lost in their own demiplane of carnality.

Sweat broke out on Fjord's muscular back, beading in the damp air and pooling at the base of his spine. Caduceus' hair was a wild tangle, full of dirt and leaves. 

With a breathless gasp, the orc's name was rent from Cad's lips like a sultry prayer.

_"Ffjord..."_

A very distant rumble of thunder rolled across the bay and Fjord seized, orgasming with tender violence into his slack-jawed mate, clutching at him desperately. 

A cloud passed over the sun as they crushed themselves together, as if they intended to devour and assimilate each atom of their beloved, as if they could forever prolong the infinite pleasure by merely embracing tightly enough. Fjord's head was thrown back in a silent howl, Caduceus' eyes rolled up in a reverent benediction. 

\----

Minutes later, the pair were splayed out on the grass, their hands loosely clasped, placid with satisfaction. A tiny green lizard darted up to perch for a moment on Caduceus' ankle, its suspicious black eyes turned to Fjord. 

Caduceus let out a gentle snore and the anole skittered away, flashing its orange belly. 

Fjord sighed serenely. He felt satisfied in every corner of his body and mind, completely whole in the pleasure. He couldn't help but blink a tear away as he gazed over to his lover, though. The tenderness... the _love_ he felt was overwhelming in its sweetness. He knew he would forever have a home in the Savalier Wood. He would forever have a home in this man. Thinking back to the scared, angry boy that had grown up on these shores, he marveled at how far he had come. 

"Hey F-"

Fjord lifted his head slightly to see Beau emerge from the trees, giving one last kick to an offending palm. Her face suddenly bloomed all over with deep crimson as she took in the scene; the two men damp with sweat and naked in the dry grass. 

One tightly clenched fist shot up violently in a thumbs-up motion and the monk rapidly turned on her heel and power-walked back the direction she came.

Fjord stifled a laugh and let his head fall back to the ground. A warm smile spread across his face.

Fingers still entwined with Caduceus', he drifted easily to sleep. 

And dreamt of nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading, and especially those who have left kudos and comments. Your support is deeply appreciated.


End file.
